This disclosure relates generally to solutions for e-commerce merchants that allow such merchants to interact with buyers in foreign jurisdictions. More specifically, a solution provides an intermediation service that operates to provide variants of e-commerce (or other) Web sites in a local language of a visitor to such site, such variants including facilities to accept payments for goods or services in the currencies and/or payment forms of the foreign jurisdiction and to provide the e-commerce merchant with required shipment documents to assist in order fulfillment.
E-commerce Web sites have become ubiquitous. Indeed, sites such as Amazon.com, eBay.com and others are now as popular with shoppers as traditional brick and mortar merchants. Nevertheless, for buyers living outside the United States and perhaps a small number of other developed nations, shopping via the Internet is far from convenient.
One reason for this inconvenience is the fact that many, if not most, e-merchants refuse to ship goods outside of their local jurisdiction. That is, buyers wishing to engage in e-transactions often find that the e-merchant is unwilling to ship to countries other than the one in which the merchant operates. This is true whether the buyer is located in that same jurisdiction or in another jurisdiction. The problem is even farther compounded when the buyer is in another jurisdiction inasmuch as most e-merchants will not accept forms of payment that involve foreign currencies or foreign banks. For example, most U.S. e-merchants will not accept forms of payment involving non-U.S. credit cards or cheques.
Others have recognized business opportunities associated with e-merchants' unwillingness to ship goods to foreign countries. For example, some companies operate as forwarders of such goods, providing the foreign buyer with a U.S. (or other local jurisdiction) address to which goods purchased from a U.S. (or other local jurisdiction) e-merchant can be shipped. Once received at that address, the goods are forwarded on to the actual buyer for a fee. While this somewhat alleviates the problem of dealing with e-merchants that do not offer international delivery, the solution inevitably adds overhead costs (from the buyer's perspective) and (from the forwarder's perspective) really does not scale to accommodate large numbers of foreign buyers. This solution also does not address the problem of the e-merchant refusing to accept payment in foreign currencies or using foreign payment means. Finally, this solution does nothing to enhance the opportunity for sales by the e-merchant inasmuch as the foreign purchaser not only has to bear the increased costs associated with the forwarding of the goods, but must also overcome the need to provide payment in local currencies using a form of local payment means.